Jerusalem has been at the heart of violent conflicts throughout history

Why was there a UN vote and which countries voted against the UN resolution?

The UN General Assembly held a rare emergency special session at the request of Arab and Muslim states, after Trump’s shock decision heightened tensions in the Middle East.

The resolution effectively calling on the US to withdraw its recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was backed by the overwhelming majority of members.

A total of 128 countries voted for the resolution on December 21, 2017, while just nine voted “no”.

Those nine members voting against were the US and Israel, along with Guatemala, Honduras, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and Togo.

Thirty-five nations abstained, including Canada, Mexico and Australia, and 21 countries didn’t turn up for the vote.

The vote came after US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley issued a direct threat, saying that the

US will think twice about funding the world body if it voted to condemn Trump’s decision.

“The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in this assembly,” Haley said.

“We will remember it when we are called upon to once again make the world’s largest contribution” to the UN and when other member nations ask Washington “to pay even more and to use our influence for their benefit.”

Haley said the US will put its embassy in Jerusalem regardless of the vote.

Why does Trump want to move the embassy there and why is it so controversial?

Announcing his “long overdue” decision, Trump said he was acting “in the best interest of the US and the pursuit of peace” in the region.

Trump also announced the US State Department will begin plans to build a new US embassy in Jerusalem — which he said would stand as a “magnificent tribute to peace”.

The US is the first country to make the distinction since Israel was created in 1948.

The President slammed the stance of his predecessors, saying: “We cannot solve our problems by repeating the same failed strategies of the past.

“After more than two decades of wavers, we are no closer to a lasting peace agreement.”

However, many world leaders have condemned the move, with fears it could could spark further bloodshed in the region and disrupt attempts to reach a two-state solution.

The status of Jerusalem has widely been considered something that should be decided by negotiations between Israel and Palestine, without international interference.

Theresa May reiterated the UK’s support for this stance, saying that she wants the two countries to have the city as a “shared capital”.

She said: “We continue to support a two-state solution. We recognise the importance of Jerusalem.”

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Jerusalem was the “eternal capital of the State of Palestine”.

In a scathing rebuke, he described Trump’s speech as “a declaration of withdrawal from the role the US has played in the peace process.”

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At least 80 Palestinians had been wounded in clashes along the West Bank and eight killed since Trump’s announcement on December 8.

On January 2, Donald Trump appeared to cease efforts in reviving the peace process between Israel and Palestine.

He tweeted: “We pay the Palestinians HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect,” Trump wrote on Tuesday, almost a month after his Jerusalem announcement sparked global protests.

“They don’t even want to negotiate a long overdue peace treaty with Israel. With the Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?”

US President Donald Trump says, 'it is time to officially recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel'